


How to Catch a Ghost

by Alexa_Piper



Series: The Earth Kept Spinning - a series of generally unrelated oneshots set after Phantom Planet [3]
Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Gen, backdated fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-01
Updated: 2014-04-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:41:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23824000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alexa_Piper/pseuds/Alexa_Piper
Summary: A series of three oneshots involving SHIELD and a generally uninterested ghost boy.
Series: The Earth Kept Spinning - a series of generally unrelated oneshots set after Phantom Planet [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1716541
Comments: 1
Kudos: 51





	1. Chapter 1

Tucker sighed, leaning against the side of the shelter. Rain sheeted from the sky, and in his mad dash down residential streets to the bus stop, he had become saturated. Certainly not the greatest start to his Monday.

Removing his beret, Tucker twisted it in his hands, wringing out the water. The item squelched pathetically, and the young man stared at it. The colour was faded, the shape barely recognisable, and the tip bore scorch marks from one of the first ghost fights he had participated in. Back before the world knew anything about halfas or the Guys in White, life had been far more dangerous.

"I think it's time to put you to rest," Tucker told the beret tenderly, placing his waterproof backpack on the shelter's bench. Stashing the soggy red lump in the side pocket, he sighed in relief at the fact that his various electronics hadn't been touched by the deluge.

Life was certainly much quieter now that the only threat to his PDA was a bit of rain.

It had started in the weeks leading up to graduation.

Danny stopped calling him to join in the ghost fights, and Tucker stopped asking. The boys were still best friends, but the human no longer participated in that dangerous aspect of the halfa's life.

Three years after graduation, and Amity Park was no longer Tucker's home.

While Danny had stayed behind and taken up the position of full-time ghost hunter, Tucker had turned his back on the town. He was almost finished studying a Bachelor of Engineering and Information Technology at Wisconsin, and while most of the time he was already far more advanced than the professors themselves, the young man was happy.

This was his dream, after all.

Tucker frowned as a sleek black vehicle pulled into the bus stop. Just like in the movies, a heavily-tinted window slid down to reveal an elegant woman who appeared to be wearing a form-fitting, sleek black outfit.

She seemed familiar, but Tucker had made special effort to ignore the media's attention to superheroes ever since Danny saved the world. Too much drama for a simple geek's liking.

"Tucker Foley, would you like to come with us?"

Tucker gulped, slung his backpack over one shoulder, and approached the vehicle. The door was opened for him by this strange woman, and he slid onto the seat, smiling slightly at the towels that had been laid out for him.

The woman pulled the door closed once Tucker was settled, and the car started to move.

"If you plan to hurt me, should I remind you who my best friend is?" the geek asked quietly.

The woman gave a light laugh, pushing an errant strand of wavy red hair back behind her ear. "Please, Mr Foley, I'm going to offer you a job."

Tucker sat up straighter, suddenly thankful that he had already dispensed of the beret. This woman exuded an aura of power, and for once in his life, the man managed to refrain from attempting to flirt. Now if he could only remember with whom she was affiliated...

"You may have heard of the disbanding of the Guys in White a couple of years ago –" she ignored Tucker's snort – "but in its wake, President Hartman has suggested that we add dealing with the world's ghostly population to the rest of our responsibilities. To do this, we need ties, and we need experts."

Tucker held up his hands. "Whoa, there. I don't hunt ghosts anymore, not since ghost hunting killed someone very dear to me!"

The woman swallowed visibly. "Yes, I understand your predicament. However, you will not be in the field. You see, we need a leader in ghost hunting technology. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I have heard that you have been able to fix every single one of the Fentons' faulty inventions."

Tucker shrugged. "Yeah, it's my passion, but surely there are people more qualified than me."

Her smile was pretty. "We need somebody who knows how the ghosts think, and you have inside experience. We only have two other employees who could even be considered for the position I am offering you. However, neither of them have the aptitude for this type of long-time work."

The geek tilted his head. "I can pull out at any time?"

The woman inclined her head. "We are not going to imprison you, Mr Foley."

He chewed the inside of his cheek thoughtfully. "Well, I guess that it can't hurt to give it a go. Who are you, and what organisation would I be working for?"

Her smile was back again, and as she opened her mouth Tucker finally realised what team she belonged to, and exactly the type of trouble he might be getting himself into.

"I'm Natasha Romanov, here on behalf of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division."


	2. Chapter 2

Tucker handed the thermos to his superior, backing away hastily. "I'd prefer that you didn't let him out until I'm outta the room."

The corner of Fury's mouth quirked in the slightest suggestion of a smile. "Turn on the ghost shield when you leave," he responded, watching with hidden amusement as the geek raced to do as he was bid.

The room's other occupants were uncharacteristically silent as the lock on the door clicked, and a shimmering green shield coated the walls. Stark leaned back in a plush chair, taking a sip of something that sparkled while his wary eyes remained fixed on the cylindrical container that Fury held.

Peter, the newest addition to the Avengers Initiative, seemed more interested in the glowing shield. Unlike the billionaire, or the slightly jittery doctor beside him, the young man hadn't yet exchanged words with the Foley guy, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s spectral technician and all-around go-to guy. Foley always seemed super busy, scuttling around with his arms full of blueprints and a PDA, and never spoke to the heroes themselves unless addressed directly.

Just another S.H.I.E.L.D. mystery for Peter to investigate when he got the time.

Tony interrupted the silence. "Where's everyone else? Y'know, not that I really _care_ or anything, but shouldn't they be here, too?"

Fury raised an eyebrow, and the billionaire couldn't quite disguise his discomfort. Peter stared at their comrade in bewilderment, but Bruce smirked. "You three are here because he's familiar with you and Bruce, and Peter isn't too far off Daniel's age."

"Danny's a scientist like us as well, right?" Banner queried, pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose.

Fury inclined his head, fingers moving to the release button on the side of the contraption. The room was briefly illuminated by a vortex of blue light, and this vortex threw a figure dressed in black forcefully against the table.

Danny rolled off his stomach and sat up with a moan. "Tuck, I'm gunna kill ya," he groaned, grasping his head in white-gloved hands. "You _know_ how nauseating the thermos is!"

Stark scooted backwards in his wheeled chair, trying to keep his expression confident as the dazed young man shook his head to clear it. Emerald eyes opened and blinked a couple of times before focusing on the billionaire.

The halfa stilled, dropping his hands. Realisation bloomed across his features, and Danny shakily climbed off the table. "I thought I told you to stay away from me," Phantom growled, "and to sort out your own problems."

Peter froze halfway out of his own seat at the venom in the famously carefree hero's voice. The web-slinging hero sent Banner and Fury an incredulous glance, only to find the two of them struggling to hide their smirks.

"I didn't bring you here!" Stark exclaimed, lifting up his hands in a gesture that could have been considered defensive.

"Why's he acting like that?" Peter whispered to Bruce as Fury stepped forwards to defuse the situation.

The bespectacled man smirked. "Let's just say that Tony doesn't like ghost powers, especially when they're being used against him," he responded in a voice that was equally low.

"Why?"

A gloved hand entered Peter's line of sight. "Three times in the past fortnight I've had to teleport halfway across the country – which is absolutely exhausting – to rescue your precious Iron Man from his own spectral experiments, and each time I've been severely injured in the process," the disgruntled man explained. "I'm Danny, but you probably know that already."

"Peter Parker," was the response as Peter shook the man's hand.

"You a superhero, too?"

Spidey smirked, leaning back in his chair as Danny turned human and sat in the empty one between him and Bruce. "Nah, I just sleep on Stark's couch and hang around Shield headquarters for the fun of it all."

Daniel's smile broadened as Peter winked and lifted the hem of his shirt slightly to reveal the blue and red suit beneath.

"Y'know, Fury, I _was_ going to refuse your offer, but I think I need to stay and keep this guy company," the halfa announced, clapping a hand to Peter's shoulder.

The man seemed to momentarily breathe a sigh of relief before straightening his trademark coat. "You agree to help us when we call?"

Danny shrugged. "Well, you've already specified that I'm not gunna be an Avenger, but more of a side division that deals mostly with ghosts. I'm fine with that, on one condition." Fury raised an eyebrow, and the young hero smirked before continuing. "Tony isn't allowed to experiment with ghost stuff without letting me know what he's doing first."

Bruce guffawed, slapping the halfa on the back as Stark took a seemingly nonchalant sip of his drink. When Fury nodded, everyone was aware of the tantrum that they were in for later, but Phantom was too powerful and valuable for the organisation to leave as a loose cannon.

"By the way," Danny drawled, " I thought that this was supposed to be a _friendly_ proposition. Why the _hell_ are we surrounded by a ghost shield?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for the tenth Dannyversary!

They were all looking at him.

Tapping his fingers against the flawless tabletop, Danny tried to ignore the stares and instead focus on what Tucker was saying about the efficiency of ecto-powered weaponry and that S.H.I.E.L.D. should seriously consider converting at least one third of their weapons.

Why was he even _in_ this meeting?!

Taking a deep breath through his nose, Danny tried to relax into the plush office chair. This was about ghost stuff, and it was his own stupid fault – when he had accepted Fury's job proposal, the halfa himself had insisted that he attend all meetings regarding anything ghostly.

Tucker trailed off in his explanation of the additional power boost offered by ectoplasmic fuel sources when Stark held up a hand. "Is there a problem?" the billionaire asked, tilting his head towards Danny. "Your incessant tapping was irritating ten minutes ago, and now it's become aggravating. Either deal with your restlessness or call a break, Spooky."

Usually, Danny would have responded with a light-hearted quip coupled with an insulting nickname, but today was different.

"Sorry," he forced through a throat that threatened to close over. Wiping the back of a hand over his sweaty forehead, the halfa got to his feet, nodding at the assembled scientists. "I think I might have to take that break."

"We'll all take a ten-minute recess," Peter announced before anybody else could get a word in.

Bless that guy – Danny honestly didn't know how he could have stayed with S.H.I.E.L.D. for the past few years without Peter Parker right there beside him; the web-slinging hero often attended boring meetings simply to be there for the halfa. Next to Tuck, Pete was Danny's closest friend.

Sending the goofy hero a grateful smile, Danny fled the room.

One thing never changed through life's ups and downs: when in doubt, hide in the bathroom. Ensuring that the door was locked behind him, Danny leaned against the sink, gripping its edges with white knuckles. The ceramic cracked under his superhuman strength, but the halfa paid the damage no heed.

How the hell could he have forgotten the date? Danny hadn't even realised it until Tucker began his presentation; the holographic screens filled with data all had a tiny clock and date in the bottom right-hand corner. As soon as he had seen it, Danny's insides turned to ice, and not just thanks to his core.

The sink fell apart in chunks, and the halfa collapsed as though that ceramic bowl had been all that was holding him together. The dam burst, and Danny screamed into his fists as tears streamed from eyes that burned emerald with grief.

Ten years ago, he had watched them all die.

A wave of remembered heat washed over him, and Danny opened his eyes to see bits of rubble rain from above.

Amongst the debris were other things. A lone foot, still shod in Maddie Fenton's black boot. A forearm that could only have belonged to Tucker. Numerous bloody chunks of what had been living, breathing people mere moments ago.

Danny's entire world, destroyed in a single horrific second. All his fault.

His hands stung, and Danny blinked in confusion. The terrible vision melted away to reveal palms that had been sliced by broken ceramic. Was that all he was now? A broken vessel, incapable of performing his duty, haunted by what could have been? A mixture of green and red spilt from the wounds, flowing down Danny's forearms in gristly rivulets.

Tears dripped from his chin onto his hands, and Danny gave a half-hearted sob as the stinging intensified. He tightened his fingers into fists once again, shoulders trembling as the sharp edges opened more cuts in bloody palms. Sobs racked the halfa's shuddering frame, the staccato sounds of grief breaking the air in hitching hiccups.

It was all his fault. Danny hunched over, his forehead touching the floor as tears and blood mingled in drops on the pristine white tiles.

Somewhere, in another timeline, everybody was suffering because of him.

Sure, Dan was now removed from the time stream, that future eradicated. Never to be. Gone from existence.

But it was real to him. Danny had witnessed the suffering caused by his own selfishness – the suffering not of just a few people, but of nations. The nations of a world that Danny had destroyed. Regardless of whether that timeline existed now or not, it had still happened at one point.

There was no proof now, but once upon a time, the world at this point was nothing but terror and ruin thanks to Danny's stupid selfishness.

Even though they were alive now, Danny had still killed them, and there was no way that he could ever forget it.

Someone was banging on the door. They were shouting, but the words were rendered indecipherable by a headache that had begun to pound behind the halfa's eyes.

More voices, and then light and heat as a certain insufferable billionaire used his suit to blast the door off its hinges.

"What the hell?" Stark breathed as the dust settled. Danny stayed where he was, lacking even the strength to turn invisible as he continued to tremble with grief and guilt.

"Danny?" Peter asked, picking through the debris to crouch beside the distraught halfa.

"Move, Peter."

That was the voice he needed.

Leaping to his feet, Danny threw arms streaked with blood and ectoplasm around Tucker's shoulders. "You're alive," he sobbed, finally dropping the bits of ruined sink. "I'm sorry, Tuck. I-I'm so, _so_ sorry."

They sank to the floor, Tucker crumbling under his best friend's weight. "I know," he whispered, voice cracking. "Don't worry – it didn't actually happen. I promise."

"No," Danny wailed, "I was there! I was there, a-and it blew up before I could stop it, and then… you… you were… Tuck, I'm sorry!"

"I know," Tucker responded as tears trickled down his own cheeks. "I know, but it's alright now, I forgive you, everything's okay…"

Clinging to Tucker like he was the last tangible thing in the entire world, Danny's sobbing finally quieted.

"Well, I think it's safe to say that the meeting's postponed for now," Stark said. "Peter, let's go."

Peter looked from Tony to the crying boys and back again. "I think I'll-"

"No choice, Tarzan. Let's go."

Peter grudgingly got to his feet, trailing after the older man. Clutching his oldest friend, Danny didn't even notice their departure.

"It'll never happen," Tucker promised, rubbing his hand in slow circles across Danny's spine. "Come on, let's go get those hands bandaged, and then we can get outta here."

"What about the meeting?" Danny asked between deep, calming breaths. That was good – if he managed to stop now, he wouldn't level the entire building in a wail of grief. In previous years, FentonWorks had been levelled three times thanks to this particular anniversary.

"Well, we were pretty much professionals at skipping school. Let's see how long it takes for Fury to give us detention, hm?"

This earned him a shaky chuckle. "He'll just make us work overtime later," Danny said, his voice scratchy as the tears finally stopped.

Tucker extracted himself from Danny's arms. "Come on, let's go get cleaned up," he said, hauling the halfa to unsteady feet. Danny allowed himself to be led to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s nurse's office, keeping his head down whenever they passed someone in the hallways.

Without Tucker he honestly didn't know where he'd be, but something told Danny that it wasn't anywhere good.


End file.
